Efficacy of the Couples’ Relationship Enrichment Training According to Selection Theory on the Cognitive Regulation of Emotion and Personal Commitment of the Couples with Marital Conflicts

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in General Psychology, Yasouj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasouj, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Yasouj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasouj, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: Marital conflicts impair a couple's psychological, emotional, and cognitive order. according to this the present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of the couples’ relationship enrichment training according to selection theory on the cognitive regulation of emotion and personal commitment of the couples with marital conflicts.
Methodology: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest and two-month follow-up period design. The statistical population of the present study included the couples with marital conflicts who referred to six consultation centers in zone eight in autumn and winter of 2020 in Shiraz. 35 couples were selected through multi-stage sampling method and randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups (17 couples in the experimental and 18 in the control group). The experimental groups received couples’ relationship enrichment training based on selection theory (10 sessions) during two-and-a-half months. The applied questionnaires in this study included marital conflict questionnaire (Barati and Sanaei, 1997), cognitive regulation of emotion and questionnaire (Garnefski, Kraaij, Spinhoven, 2001) and personal commitment questionaire (Adamz, Jonz, 1997). The data were analyzed through mixed ANOVA via SPSS23 software.
Findings: The results showed that the couples’ relationship enrichment theory based on selection theory has significant effect on the positive emotional regulation (F=86.15; Eta=0.56; p<0001), negative emotional regulation (F=108.19; Eta=0.61; p<0001) and personal commitment (F=118.94; Eta=0.63; p<0001) of the couples with marital conflicts.

Keywords